


The Mating Habits of the Korean Bush Warbler

by XiuChen4Ever



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bird-Related Sappiness, Birdwatching, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:27:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25194658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XiuChen4Ever/pseuds/XiuChen4Ever
Summary: Minseok isn't really into birds, but he might be into a bird-obsessed boy.
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Minseok | Xiumin
Comments: 53
Kudos: 179
Collections: Round 4: Spring and Summer





	The Mating Habits of the Korean Bush Warbler

**Author's Note:**

> Written for EXO Seasonal Fest Round 4, prompt blossom 356.
> 
> This prompt took more research than I expected, so thank you to my friends for listening to all my whining and to all you lovely readers who I'm sure will appreciate and notice every detail. All bird information is as accurate as I could make it!

❤🐦❤

A nice morning run can really change a person's outlook. 

At least, that's what Minseok fervently tells himself every morning when he gets up at an indecent hour, pulls on his track suit and trainers, readies his favorite playlist, and jams his earbuds in his ears. He has to tell himself this several times during his warmup stretches, along with such motivational phrases as "You like being in shape" and "You'll be so energized for the rest of your day" and "Sweat is sexy."

He does like being in shape, but the rest of it is all lies.

He sets off for the park every morning anyway, jogging lightly on the way, only one earbud providing musical encouragement so he can have an entire ear canal free to make sure he's mindful of his surroundings. Getting hit by a car is _not_ sexy.

Once he's made it safely to the park, he chooses the path that wends between the two scenic ponds, loving the extra reason to keep his head up. He likes this route in the spring especially, when all of the cute little baby ducklings are brand-new to the water, freaking out and all trying to climb on their mother's back at once as she placidly escorts them around the reeds. He grins at such a sight this morning, slowing down and tugging his earbuds out so he can enjoy their tiny quacks of alarm as their wee webbed feet paddle water for what's probably the first time. A smile spreads across his face, and as he rounds the corner that marks the halfway point of his ten-kilometer loop, he puts on a burst of speed, a cuteness-fuelled rocket in the brisk spring air.

"Kh- _whaaak!"_

The unearthly cry is incredibly _loud_ and right next to his ear. Minseok makes an unmanly cry of his own, sort of a strangled "Erp!" as he dodges reflexively away from the sudden disturbance to the morning's peace. 

Unfortunately, he dodges onto a soft spot on the bank of the pond, and the soggy grass and mud betray him in the worst possible way. He flails as he falls, unable to catch himself before he ends up in the pond with a terrific splash.

Any waterfowl brave or stupid enough not to have flown away at the initial terrifying screech certainly explode out of the water when Minseok tumbles in. For a moment, he just sits there on his rump in the shallow water, braced on one elbow with the other arm folded over his head as angry honking accompanies the rush of wings that seem to be passing over him with merely centimeters to spare.

Then, silence returns.

Only to be broken once again by a trembling "Oh my God, I am _so sorry."_

Minseok peeks beneath his bent elbow to see a slender man roughly his own height, dressed in khaki from head to toe and holding both hands over his mouth. His eyes are dark and widened with alarm beneath a mop of wavy black hair that's parted to reveal his forehead.

"A-are you all right?" the man asks from behind his hands. He steps forward, one hand still over his mouth as he rushes forward, waders splashing another wave of water over Minseok's lap before a trembling hand offers him assistance.

Minseok eyes the man with irritation. He's soaked, his phone is probably dead along with his earbuds, his trainers are going to squish all the way home and take days to properly dry out, and by apologizing, this skinny little guy has claimed responsibility for Minseok's current misery.

Still, he doesn't want to sit on his bum in a pond forever, so he accepts the outstretched hand and allows his new least-favorite person to pull him out of the muddied water.

Minseok swallows a curse as his trainers threaten to stay in the pond without him, evidently enjoying being gripped by sticky pond murk, but the annoying stranger steadies Minseok before he goes down again. Clasping the man's forearms for balance, Minseok eventually makes it up onto the grass with both of his shoes still partially on his feet. 

Followed closely by the hovering stranger, Minseok hobbles over to a nearby bench to pull his trainers back on properly, taking a moment to empty them of as much pond water as he can pour out.

"Again, I am so sorry, my apartment is just over there and we look to be about the same size so I'd be happy to give you dry clothes and you could even take a shower if you want—"

"How about no?" Minseok cuts the stranger off and shrugs away the hand that landed on his shoulder. "I'm soaked, not stupid."

Glaring, he regains his feet and squelches several meters away from the wide-eyed man. "Find someone else to kidnap or seduce or whatever the hell you're after."

The stranger waves his hands in front of his face, palms out, fingers spread. "I-I'm only after a _Nycticorax!_ I'm not trying to kidnap or seduce anyone!"

Minseok lifts an angled brow. "You're after a what now?"

"A _Nycticorax._ That's why I made that mating call—I thought I saw one flying past, and I wanted to get it to land," the man explains sheepishly.

"Is a nik-t-rex a pterodactyl or something?" There's no way that noise emulated a non-Jurassic creature. "And why the hell do you want to mate with it?"

Now the man blushes, pink spreading over his pronounced cheekbones. "I-I don't want to mate with it! It's a type of heron. It’s pretty common, actually, but a rarity in a park like this, so I just wanted to confirm it before I noted it in my life log."

The blush spreads further, to the man's ears and down his neck as he lowers his eyes to the pathway between them, long dark lashes sweeping toward his crimson cheeks. "I didn't mean to startle you, and I'm sorry about your clothes. Uh... they're really, um. Clinging. A-are you sure you want to go home like that?"

Minseok looks down at himself, and sure enough, his assets are so clearly outlined he may as well be nude. He quickly covers himself with his hands. "Just so you know, that water is really freaking cold."

A hint of a smile touches the curved ends of the stranger's lips before his face is once again apologetic and sincere. "I'm sure you're freezing. Please let me give you something to wear."

He turns away from Minseok, pointing to a four-story building about two hundred meters away, with wrought-iron railings enclosing the balconies that march up the red brick. "That's where I live—I'm on the second floor, apartment 21. You can see my balcony from here—the one with the spotting scopes.”

One of the balconies does indeed have what looks like a giant set of telescopes mounted to the railing, one of which seems to have a camera attached.

Minseok narrows his eyes at the still-blushing stranger. "You know, that isn't helping your I'm-not-a-creeper defense."

The man's eyes widen in alarm, and he waves his hands in front of him again. "N-no, it's just to observe avian wildlife! I never look at _people._ What kind of person do you take me for?"

"The kind that goes around making pterodactyl noises, then tries to convince people he's normal so they'll go home with him." It's hard for Minseok to maintain his glare now that he's fighting the urge to shiver. 

The stranger's entire face is red now. "I-I'm not trying to... Just. I feel really bad. Can I at least bring you a blanket and call someone to pick you up?"

Minseok's muscles are cramping as he continues to suppress the urge to shiver. He's in bad shape and it's only going to get worse the longer he stands out here in wet clothes.

His teeth chatter slightly as he grumbles, "I'm going to be so annoyed when you turn out to be a murderer."

❤🐦❤

As Minseok trudges to the apartment building with the stranger fluttering concernedly beside him, he learns his probable-murderer's name is Kim Jongdae. The ID he shows Minseok—as if that somehow proves he doesn't have criminal tendencies—indicates he's younger by two years. He sticks with his "I love birds" cover story as he lures the dripping runner to his lair, going so far as to claim to be an ornithology major at the same university Minseok attended.

"You liar, they don't even have an ornithology department," Minseok accuses, trying not to let his chattering teeth slice off his tongue as he catches his killer in an obvious lie.

"No, it's a specialized option in the biology program. My mentor is Doctor Kwon."

Minseok actually had Doctor Kwon as a lecturer freshman year for his general-education life sciences class. The no-nonsense woman barely mentioned birds at all, and she certainly didn't seem like the type to mentor a nutjob.

At least the nutjob's apartment is tidy. Eerily packed full of bird-related objects, but tidy. Probably because all the bird stuff would never fit in the small space otherwise. The living room is dominated by two massive bookshelves filled to bursting with bird-themed books. The worn sofa has birds on the upholstery, the coffee table's glass top has birds etched into it, the lamps have birds worked into the metal, and even the hook Jongdae hangs his coat up on is shaped like a bird. Bird photos and paintings cover the walls, bird knickknacks decorate every available surface, and bird rugs line the hardwood floor. Minseok could maybe write all of it off as harmless-otaku if it weren't for the three high-end cameras with massive telephoto lenses stored on a shelf near the door to the patio, through which Minseok can see the scopes.

This kid has probably been using the bird excuse to stalk people for years before finally getting up the nerve to claim Minseok as his first murder victim.

The bathroom Jongdae shows Minseok to has—surprise!—more birds all over it. Shower curtain, bath mat, toilet paper holder, even the kid's toothbrush. The towels he hands Minseok have birds on them, and somewhere he'd found shampoo with birds on the bottle. He's starting to become surprised that Jongdae has hair instead of feathers.

The birdboy provides Minseok with a set of sweats that, yes, have birds silk-screened over the chest, and then he closes the bathroom door behind him, leaving his victim alone. Minseok locks the door after him, just to be safe.

A warm shower does a lot to improve Minseok’s demeanor, and the borrowed sweats fit surprisingly well. Minseok tidies up the bathroom after himself, opening the door to release a cloud of steam. Rubbing a towel over his hair, Minseok leans in towards the framed photo on the wall opposite, of a smiling Jongdae surrounded by a bunch of other men and women and even a few children. They’re dressed like they’re about to go on safari or something, dripping with cameras and binoculars.

“That was from our rare species survey last spring. I got to try out my new spotting scope and saw a pair of Penduline Tits. It was really fun, I can’t wait to go again this year.”

Minseok turns to squint at Jongdae from beneath the towel still draped over his head. “So, you and your creeper friends go into the woods to use telescopes to ogle dangling breasts in front of children.”

“What? No! That’s not what I said at all!”

“You said you looked at tits!”

“Yeah—the birds! I didn’t choose the name! If I’d have said _Remiz consobrinus_ , you would have accused me of, I dunno, consorting or something. You’re the one that makes everything I say weird or dirty!”

Minseok can’t help but chuckle at Jongdae’s red-faced indignation. All his feelings seem painted on the surface, making it seem unlikely that he’d have the guile to arrange a faux gathering of over a dozen people and stage a photo, just to throw off a potential victim with this seeming demonstration that he can play well with others.

Then again, how much does Minseok believe people actually go out into the wilderness in a group just to look for birds of all things? Not even cute, furry, real animals, but boring birds that all look basically the same except for the flashy show-off kinds. Ogling boobs with high-powered telescopes seems much more interesting, except for the part where it’s creepy, immoral, and probably illegal.

The Jongdae in the photo looks like he’s enjoying whatever it was they were doing, smiling so broadly, almost _cute._ Not at all like the half-grimace he’s giving Minseok now as he awkwardly holds out a baggie of rice wherein Minseok’s phone is buried. Minseok presses his lips together as he accepts his probably-dead phone, handing over the hair towel in exchange.

“I wrote my number on the bag,” Jongdae says. “If your phone doesn’t work, let me know and I’ll buy you a new one.”

Minseok shakes his head. “You don’t have to do that. If you really _are_ still a student, you probably don’t have cash to spare.”

Jongdae’s brow furrows, kipping his eyebrows up toward the center of his forehead. “Aren’t you a student, too, though?”

Minseok shakes his head again, cracking half a smile. “I graduated almost a year ago.”

“Oh. Sorry—I didn’t realize you were older than me.”

“Few do,” Minseok sighs through a smile. “Anyway. Thanks for lending me some clothes—”

“And a pair of trainers? Or at least flip-flops or something? I tried to dry your shoes out, but…” Jongdae rubs the back of his neck.

“It’s fine,” Minseok decides after inspecting his shoes. They’re still damp but no longer soggy—Jongdae had done a good job of drying them as much as possible. “I’ll go straight home—I don’t live far.”

Jongdae still looks vaguely forlorn as Minseok collects his stuff and heads out. It’s a bit hard to think of him as a murderer when he’s giving Minseok a face that wouldn’t be out of place on a guilty puppy.

That’s probably how he gets people.

❤🐦❤

Minseok’s phone does turn out to be shot but his data is salvageable, and his best friend had been pestering him since March to let him splurge on a “real birthday present” for Minseok anyway, instead of just buying him food or fancy coffee like Minseok generally talks him into. Lu Han is doing well as an actor these days and likes spoiling his friends a little, so after work a week later, Minseok finds himself in a mobile shop, picking out a new phone for his friend to pay for.

“So what’s the real reason you’re not making this guy pay for a new phone? Was he cute or something?” Lu Han smirks.

Minseok elbows him. “I told you—he’s a student.”

Lu Han elbows him back. “And?”

“And… his major is something that’s probably not going to even pay the bills, much less buy strangers phones.” Minseok hands the phone in question to Lu Han and gestures toward the checkout.

“Oh, right, birds or something.” Lu Han gives a charming smile to the check-out lady.

Minseok rolls his eyes—if the woman’s number didn’t end up written on the reciept, he’d be genuinely surprised. “He’s in ornithology,” Minseok clarifies, after Lu Han scrawls his signature on the pad. “Which evidently _is_ an optional major at our alma mater.”

Lu Han raises a brow, but flirts his way through the rest of the transaction, reserving the judgmental look for after they step out of the shop. “Now who’s the stalker?”

“I was just curious!”

Lu Han smirks. “So he _is_ cute, then.”

Minseok shrugs. “I mean. He’s not ugly. Just… a little weird.”

“You totally have a crush on him.”

“I do not! I just. I’m not mad at him or anything. It was an accident, and he did the best he could to make up for it.” Minseok sets his gym bag on a bench, stowing the packaging and charger for his new phone, shoving a football to one side so he can reach the internal pocket. “That took less time than I thought. Want to hit the park for some footie instead of being stuck inside the gym?”

“Sure,” Lu Han agrees. “So, when’s your first date with this not-ugly guy?”

“Never.”

“Then why are you entering ‘Bird Boy’ into your contacts right now, Kim Minseok?”

“I have to meet up with him to give him his stuff back, don’t I?”

“You could just keep his stuff,” Lu Han suggests, guiding Minseok around lampposts and stopping him safely at curbs while he concentrates on his phone.

“No, because then you’d accuse me of ‘wearing my boyfriend’s clothes’ or something. As if I would ever willingly leave the house in such a cutesy sweatsuit, anyway.”

“What do you have against cutesy?”

“Same thing you have against feminine. It’s not a bad thing to be, if that’s the look you’re going for, but when you’re called that all the time regardless of how you’re trying to present yourself—”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Lu Han laughs as they enter the park. “Just text your not-boyfriend and—”

“He’s gonna think it’s spam,” Minseok suddenly realizes. “I need to send a photo—oh, look at that blue bird over there, that’ll work.”

Minseok firmly believes the pigeons of the world can all drop dead of bird flu any day now, thankyouverymuch, but he’s not intimidated or disgusted by this cute little blue guy hopping around among the new green growth of what might be a maple tree. He gets as close as he thinks the bird will tolerate, then angles his new phone to capture a selfie with it. He has to try several times to actually get an image where the bird shows itself off nicely enough to attach to a text.

####      `≪ _Hey, it’s Minseok, the guy from the pond. Found one of your friends in the park, but he’s too small to carry your sweatsuit back to you. Want to meet up sometime so I can return it?_`

His shoulder suddenly grows a second pointy-chinned head. “That is definitely a pick-up line. You are hitting on this boy, Kim Minseok.”

Minseok shrugs and twists away. “I am not! Unlike him, I’m trying _not_ to be a creep.”

“You’re being a flirt instead.”

“I am not. I’m being friendly.”

The message to Bird Boy is answered with a scream emoji. At his shoulder again, Lu Han cackles so hard his chin seems in danger of falling off.

Minseok’s thumbs fly over the screen, sending off an apology even if he has no idea what for. But Jongdae comes back with,

####       `≫Minseok`  
`≫Where did you find that bird?`

Minseok scrunches his brow.

####       `≪ _In a tree?_`  
`≪ _In the park?_`

####       `≫In Seoul?`

####       `≪ _Yeah?_`

####       `≫Which park?`

####       `≪ _Yeouido_`

More screaming emojis fill the screen.

“I think you broke him,” Lu Han comments from over Minseok’s shoulder. “Free cutesy outfit for you!”

Minseok sighs to a soundtrack of more cackling. Unsure what to do, he elects to just shove his phone into his pocket and drag his entirely-too-amused best friend toward the football pitch. Maybe kicking the ball around will burn off some of his mania.

His phone vibrates against his hip a few moments later, so he pulls it out, hand still on Lu Han’s shoulder but now to follow instead of shove.

####       `≫If I meet you in Yeouido tomorrow, will you show me where?`

####       `≪ _Sure, but isn’t that rather far from your place?_`

####       `≫Minseok`  
`≫That is a Siberian Blue Robin.`

####       `≪ _Yay?_`

####       `≫Yes, yay!`  
`≫They don’t come into cities much, so they’re rare around Seoul`

####       `≪ _Oh  
≪I can show you the tree  
≪But I didn’t see his name pecked into the branch or anything  
≪I don’t know if he actually lives there_`

This earns a bunch of laughing emojis, which makes Minseok smile. Then he lifts his shoulder to block Lu Han’s hand that’s trying to pinch his bunched-up cheek.

“Get in the goal already,” Minseok huffs, shoving his phone away again for now. Later he’ll coordinate a time to meet with Jongdae, show him his bird, give him his bird suit, and that will be that.

❤🐦❤

For a possible murderer and definite nerd, Jongdae looks way too cuddly in an oversized yellow hoodie, bulky camera dangling from a strap around his neck, hands hidden by cuffs against spring’s lingering chill.

“Thanks for meeting me,” he says when Minseok gets close enough to hand him the washed and folded sweatsuit. “I mean, I don’t care about getting the clothes back, but I do really want to see the robin if possible.”

“Well, I found him right in that tree over there,” Minseok says, unable to hide his smile at how quickly Jongdae pivots to follow his pointing finger.

“I'm impressed you knew it was a him.”

Minseok shrugs. “Aren’t the boys usually the brighter colors? ‘Cause the girls have to blend in with the nest or whatever?”

The smile Jongdae gives him over his shoulder is almost as bright as the one in the group photo on his wall. “Usually. See, you do know about birds!”

“Just the basic stuff from school, about camouflage and whatnot,” Minseok demurs. “Migration, that ducks are waterproof, and that a lot of swans are gay. Just, you know. The basics.”

Jongdae whirls around to raise a brow at him. “They taught you swans are gay in school?”

 _Uh-oh._ “Uh. Maybe not that part… but they did make me dance dressed up like a woodpecker when I was a toddler.”

The way Jongdae’s eyebrows practically run laps around his forehead implies that Minseok’s distraction tactic was successful.

“...Okay, I _definitely_ hope there’s a video of that.”

“There is, and it’s adorable.”

“I bet.” Jongdae’s smile fades a bit. “But they _should_ teach about gay swans in school, and all the other animals that naturally engage in homosexual behavior, before telling kids that who they may happen to find attractive is against nature.”

Minseok relaxes a bit, relieved that Jongdae’s strong feelings about swans don’t seem to come from a place of prejudice. “Er, yeah, probably. Uh. Did… someone say that to you?”

Jongdae shakes his head. “Nah, my grandma would've kicked anyone who tried to tell her favorite grandkid anything like that. But I know I was lucky, I mean. Lots of gay kids don’t get support from their families.”

“I’m lucky, too,” Minseok says. Seems safe enough for full disclosure—what’s Jongdae going to do, murder Minseok extra for his orientation? Still, his cheeks heat when Jongdae gives him a quizzical look, twirling eyebrows back on duty. “I mean, I like girls, but… I like boys, too.”

“Oh.” Jongdae smiles, gaze dropping to the grass in front of his sneakers before lifting to regard Minseok again. “That makes you more like a cock-of-the-rock, then, rather than a swan.”

Minseok narrows his eyes. “Did you just call me a dick?”

Jongdae cringes adorably. “I—no! I meant cock as in male bird, not—”

“Suuure you did,” Minseok laughs. “I have to say, for a gay swan, your mating rituals need work. Shove a guy in a pond, call him names, how do you expect to get a date if this is how you treat men?”

“I didn’t shove you,” Jongdae protests. “I was only—” His eyes go big, then he lifts the camera, wordless as he focuses on the tree Minseok had initially indicated. The only sound is the repeated click of the shutter, crisp and metallic unlike the digital sound produced by a phone camera.

“Whoa, is that a real—”

“Shh!”

Minseok presses his lips together, even though they’d just been laughing in a decidedly unstealthy way. The guy likes birds, Minseok has delivered both bird and borrowed clothing, his work here is done anyway. He shrugs, then whispers, “See ya around, I guess,” before turning to walk back to the paved jogging path.

“Wait!”

A hand closes around Minseok’s arm, but it disappears as soon as he looks down at it. He turns to lift a brow at Jongdae, who’s shifting from foot to foot, camera dangling forgotten against his chest.

“Sorry. That was so rude of me. That’s, er, the real reason I don’t get many dates, I think. I mean. Most of the birders I meet are at least twice my age, for one, or they’re the usually-straight kids of birders, and the kids in my classes just see me as the nerdy curve-breaker and—” Jongdae grimaces, then gives Minseok a sheepish smile. “Er, nevermind. What I meant to say was, I’m sure you have guys—and girls—throwing themselves at you already, but, well… If you _did_ want to go on a date, I mean. That could be fun?”

Damn, murderers shouldn’t be allowed to be so appealing.

Jongdae evidently takes the lack of immediate rejection for encouragement. “I know a little theater where they play really neat documentaries, and—”

“Let me guess—documentaries about birds?”

A flush creeps over Jongdae’s face. “Er, sometimes.”

“If I’m on a date, I like being able to chat and get to know someone. So instead of a movie, where we just sit there in the dark, I’d suggest karaoke.”

Jongdae’s face lights up. “I like singing,” he says, eyes curved sweetly.

Minseok chuckles. “Of course you do. It’s something birds do. Are you gonna serenade me with your mating calls?”

Pink blooms over Jongdae’s cheeks. "Well. I _am_ a really good singer."

“Modest, too, I see.”

“Hey, I may be a nerd, but I do know my strengths. And if you give me the opportunity to serenade you, I'll do my best to demonstrate." He pulls his phone out of his hoodie’s kangaroo pouch. “Um, when are you free? I mean, that was a yes, wasn't it?”

Minseok can’t help but laugh at Jongdae’s tentative eagerness. “Sure, it's a yes, let's go sing so you can preen and crow or whatever and—is that my picture?”

Jongdae jumps a bit, curving his phone against his stomach. “Er, no? I mean, it’s a photo of a rare city-dwelling Siberian Blue Robin—”

“And a common city-dwelling Korean Raven-Haired Minseok.”

“...Well. Yes.”

“Are you sure you’re not a stalker, because—”

“Hey, _you_ sent this picture to me!”

"Yeah, so you'd know I wasn't some rando trying to lure you to a sketchy meeting, not so you could perv on me."

"I'm not perving on you."

"Right, you're perving on the bird instead," Minseok scoffs, then has an unsettling thought. "Wait, you're not actually perving on the bird, are you?"

"No!" Jongdae laughs, face red. "I prefer to date my own species exclusively. Which is why I'm trying to get you to tell me when you're free!" His voice is dangerously close to a whine.

Minseok is a bit flustered himself at how adorable he finds it. He covers it with a laugh, hoping it doesn't sound as awkward as it feels.

“I have a normal office job, so I’m free evenings and weekends, usually, unless my friends have abducted me for something.”

“Okay, well, this Friday night, could I share a bit of your time instead?”

“Sure. Abduction… by… cute… birdboy… stalker,” Minseok reads as he types.

Jongdae opens his mouth, eyebrows already at battlestations. Then he shrugs. “Stalker is better than murderer. And 'cute' is flattering, at least.”

“Just leaving accurate evidence in my phone logs for the police to follow when I turn up dead,” Minseok says, smiling at Jongdae’s sputter.

After flickering between amusement and outrage, Jongdae’s face settles into a crescent-eyed smile. “Great. See you then… hyung?”

Minseok narrows his eyes, then offers a small smile of his own as the baritone honorific curls up warmly in Minseok’s chest. “Yeah,” he nods. “See you then.”

❤🐦❤

Jongdae turns out to be an excellent singer, as promised. He does have a tendency to choose songs involving birds, which doesn't surprise Minseok in the slightest at this point. 

What does surprise Minseok is the way Jongdae gapes at him when he takes his turn with the mic.

"You should be an idol, hyung," Jongdae tells him seriously as they stroll in search of post-karaoke snacks.

"What? With that stunning voice, you're telling _me_ I should be an idol?"

"You're so athletic! I bet you can dance and everything. I can only sing."

"I'm sure you could make it as a balladeer."

Jongdae makes a face, but it quickly morphs into delight at the sight of a row of food carts. He grabs Minseok’s hand with an excited crow, pulling him along toward what turns out to be a tteokbokki stand. 

"Kyungsoo!" Jongdae greets when it's their turn to be served. "We'll have two orders, please."

"We?" Brow lifted, this Kyungsoo follows Jongdae’s arm with his gaze down to where he's still holding Minseok’s hand, then back up to Minseok’s face. "Oh, it really is blue robin boy," he observes. "I’m Do Kyungsoo. It’s nice to meet you—and see that you’re actually a real person Jongdae knows rather than some cute insta model Dae saved photos from or something. Sorry for my skepticism of your date-acquiring potential, Dae. "

Jongdae introduces Minseok, following it up with, "It's fine—I was skeptical myself, but we've had a really good time, haven't we, hyung?"

"Hyung? Oh, my apologies—have an extra serving to make up for my rudeness."

"Ah, it's fine," Minseok laughs. "My mother says someday I'll be grateful for the baby face."

"Mine, too," Kyungsoo nods. "Speaking of babies, will you be joining us for the fairy pitta survey next weekend, Dae?

“Of course!” Jongdae beams. “I’ve been looking forward to it all year.”

Kyungsoo waggles his brows at Minseok, eyes still on Jongdae. “Gonna make it a date?”

Jongdae winces. “Uh. Minseok-hyung isn’t really into birds.”

“Neither am I,” Kyungsoo admits with a shrug, “but pittas are pretty and I like spending time with my grandpa. I’m happy enough with the excuse to sit around in the woods and drink whiskey all day.”

Minseok lifts a brow. “Whiskey, you say?”

Kyungsoo grins.

❤🐦❤

Birding, it turns out, is basically like camping. Except that instead of laughing and horsing around in the wilderness, everyone sits very quietly in tiny little camouflaged tents they call hides, staring out screened-over windows with cameras, binoculars, and/or ‘field glasses’ (what the difference there is, Minseok can only guess, but evidently it is _distinct)_ poking out of various holes in the fabric, often festooned with bits of plants to make them more “natural.”

Jongdae is, as to be expected, incredibly into it. He has his equipment arranged very precisely, something Minseok can respect, with his pencil attached to his notebook by a little string so even when he drops it to grab for one of his lenses, it won’t get lost in the forest floor beneath them. 

Minseok, on the other hand, has a canteen full of decent whiskey, his favorite playlist downloaded to his phone, and two extra battery packs to ensure the music doesn’t stop.

For about an hour, Minseok is content to lounge in a folding canvas chair, watching Jongdae peer out of the blind between scribbling furiously in his notebook. He keeps his phone in his pocket, earbuds dangling around his neck, occasionally lifting his borrowed binoculars—no, field glasses? Whatever—to try and see what it is that Jongdae’s so excited about.

Mostly, he sees trees, trees, and more trees.

But then there’s a quiet flutter and Jongdae gasps, lifting Minseok from his chair to hover at Jongdae’s shoulder. Jongdae gestures at the more powerful scope before making more notes, muttering to himself about plumage and diet. 

“No, hyung,” Jongdae whispers in Minseok’s ear, then points the scope more toward the treetops. “In that big pine.”

Well. The fairy pitta certainly is a pretty little thing, all blues and greens and rusts contrasting with black and white feathers. But Minseok is more than a bit distracted by the way Jongdae’s pressed up against him, directing the scope by looking through the side lens, leaving the main one available for Minseok to use. Except Minseok keeps looking at Jongdae instead, at the way his lips curl up at what he’s spotting, the way his fluffy hair tickles Minseok’s temple, the mild but pleasant scent of his shampoo.

So it’s only natural that when Jongdae turns toward Minseok, probably to whisper something else, Minseok takes advantage of the proximity and kisses him.

The stifled noise of surprise Jongdae emits as he jerks away would be comical if it weren’t so disappointing.

“Sorry,” Minseok whispers, feeling bad for finding Jongdae’s scarlet face so appealing. “I didn’t mean to—” 

His words are cut off by Jongdae’s lips. With a pleased but muted hum, Minseok wraps his arm around Jongdae, smiling at the uncertain press of lips against his. Jongdae evidently doesn’t have much experience with human courtship rituals, but his mouth is warm and eager which more than makes up for the lack of technique.

A _kwah-he kwa-wu_ sounds over the forest, and Jongdae breaks away from Minseok with a gasp, grabbing up his notebook and pressing his face to the screen. Minseok bites back an awkward laugh—evidently he has to work on his own technique if he wants to keep Jongdae’s attention.

“The male is very territorial,” Jongdae whispers. “They each set up their own little spot to wag their tail up and down and attract a mate.”

“I’ll twerk for you, if that’s what you like,” Minseok murmurs, smiling at Jongdae’s frown and the red tinging his ears. Evidently instead of breeding plumage, the wild Jongdae just turns red under the attentions of a suitor. It’s really far too cute, but further attempts to steal kisses are thwarted, sending Minseok back to his chair to definitely not pout.

Minseok tries to just chill and listen to his music and tell himself that it’s not him, per se, it’s just that Jongdae loves birds. If Minseok himself had the choice between makeouts or _really_ good coffee, he’d… well. He’d make his partner drink the coffee so he could taste it while they made out, that’s what he’d do. But he’d rather Jongdae not bring birds _that_ directly into their relationship—for one thing, it seems like feathers would get _everywhere._

So he tries to be patient and stay quiet so Jongdae can make all his important observations. But he can’t pretend to be disappointed when the mid-afternoon skies open up, drenching the area and sending all the birds fluttering for cover. Perhaps now he can steal a bit of Jongdae’s attention—except that Jongdae is wearing a heart-tugging pout.

“Aww, what a pitta it’s raining,” he says, turning the pout into a delightful grimace of disgust at his pun.   
“But the rain won’t last long. Your feathered friends will be back in an hour or so,” Minseok soothes, hiding his smile. “In the meantime, I’m sure I can take your mind off of it…”

Jongdae’s blush is definitely in Minseok’s top five things he likes about the guy. 

“W-well. I did like the kissing, if that’s what you’re suggesting.”

Minseok’s smile escapes, and he beckons Jongdae over and pulls him down into his lap, making the folding chair creak alarmingly. “More kissing is definitely available.”

With a shy little smile, Jongdae cradles Minseok’s face, tilting it up to be kissed. Minseok’s cheeks bunch under Jongdae’s lips, then he slots their mouths together, still a bit inexpertly but achingly sweet nonetheless.

Minseok hums appreciatively, causing Jongdae to lean back a bit to look down at him, brows raised in question.

“Nothing. It’s just nice that you aren’t actually more interested in the birds than you are in me.”

“I mean. I am really interested in the birds.”

Minseok pouts, blinking aegyo-wide eyes up at Jongdae.

“But I only want to _observe_ their lives, hyung. I want to actually be _part_ of yours.”

“Argh, you brat!” Minseok growls. “How can I begrudge those dumb featherheads at all if you say things like that?”

“You can’t,” Jongdae says smugly. “Come on, get your kisses in before the rain lets up—our survey notes will be collected by Birds Korea, and I want to have good data for them to aid their conservation efforts.”

Any further grumbling on Minseok’s part is half-hearted and easily smothered by Jongdae’s earnest lips. Belly warmed by whiskey and lap full of adorable nerd, Minseok thinks that trading kisses in a canvas hut beneath the patter of spring rain really isn’t a bad way to spend an afternoon.

❤🐦❤

Dating Jongdae continues to be sweetness laced with frustration. When Minseok has Jongdae’s attention, he preens like the proudest peacock, but whenever an actual peacock—or any other bird—enters the picture, Minseok finds himself pushed off his perch.

Even when Minseok makes certain to claim the last weekend before the migratory return of the warblers for them to have some ‘mating rituals’ of their own—something that Jongdae seems more than a little shy about initiating, even after months of dating—Minseok finds himself alone in the bedroom. The high-res prints from the Fairy Pitta observations had come in the mail, and nothing Minseok could say would dissuade Jongdae from placing them into their awaiting albums right away.

Minseok sighs as he listens to the pages of Jongdae’s albums flip, the strokes of his pen audible against the glossy margins of the prints. If Minseok ever wants to get laid, he's going to have to take drastic measures.

Grabbing his phone off the nightstand, he runs a quick video search. A moment later, he turns the volume up to maximum, then presses play.

Obnoxious birdsong fills the room, followed by the drumming of beaks against trees. The sound of pages flipping falls suddenly silent. The birds in the video call again, and a bemused Jongdae pokes his head into the room, eyes going wide at what he sees.

Minseok is lounging on the bird-bedecked comforter, wearing only the novelty boxers he’d picked up especially for this occasion. They’re black and clingy, with a red rooster screenprinted over the front. Minseok flexes the muscles in his torso to show them off, grinning wider when Jongdae’s eyebrows scramble for cover beneath his fringe.

“H-hyung,” Jongdae stammers. “Are you trying to seduce me with woodpecker mating calls and fancy underwear?”

“No. I’m trying to seduce you with my hard-earned sexy body, and I’m using mating calls and cock boxers to get you to even come in here and look at it.”

Jongdae flushes a lovely shade of scarlet. “Well,” he says, eyes firmly fixed on Minseok’s abs. “I’m definitely looking now.”

“You could be touching, if you wanted,” Minseok purrs, running his own hand down from chest to hip, fingers lingering in the trail of hair below his navel. “I’ve got a pecker for you right here, my little turtledove.”

Jongdae swallows. “Uh. I…” He glances behind himself, then steps into the bedroom, pulling the door shut behind him. "I've, um. Never done this before, actually."

Minseok mimics a gasp of shock. "No! Really?"

Smiling through a pout, Jongdae steps closer so he can shove Minseok’s shoulder. "Shut up!" he whines.

Minseok only grins, rolling onto his back and pulling Jongdae down on top of him. Jongdae squeaks as his palm encounters Minseok’s bare pec, making Minseok chuckle low in his throat. 

"Hyung!"

"Shh, Dae, you're all right. Hyung isn't going to pressure you or anything if you aren't ready. I'm just… displaying my fitness as a mate, okay?"

Jongdae huffs. "You are _very_ fit, hyung."

"Which you are welcome to enjoy in whatever way you're comfortable with," Minseok invites.

He'd love to take his beautiful, bashful boyfriend to ecstasy-drenched pieces, but he's not an asshole duck. He's content to wait for his mate to choose him.

"I," Jongdae starts, trailing his fingers over Minseok's chest in a way that makes the hair on his nape stand up. "Well. I definitely… appreciate the offer. I just… don't know what do do with it. I mean, I don’t know what you like."

"Well, I don't know what _you_ like, either, do I?"

Jongdae chuckles. "I guess not." 

He strokes Minseok’s chest again, and Minseok shivers, grinning when Jongdae smiles.

"There, that's apparently one thing I like, and I had no idea until you tried it." He pulls Jongdae close. "If you don't want to, then we won't. But if you do want to, but are merely worried about technique, well, kiss me and we'll figure it out together, hmm?"

Still smiling, Jongdae kisses him. He trails soft fingertips over Minseok's chest again, humming triumphantly at the resulting breathy moan.

❤🐦❤

As with anything else that's made it onto the short list of things Jongdae cares about, he proves dedicated in his mastery of sex. He's an attentive, giving lover, particularly keen on making Minseok chirp, warble, and trumpet his pleasure for Jongdae to preen over. He's plenty noisy himself, much to Minseok’s gratification when it's his turn to take his beloved apart. 

When it's Jongdae’s turn, it often ends up that Minseok has trouble remembering his own name by the time his boyfriend is done with him. So Minseok considers it forgivable if, on their one-year anniversary, he forgets about his gift until after they're tangled in the sheets and each other, panting through the afterglow.

But as soon as his memory returns, Minseok sits straight up despite the whine from the guy using his pec as a pillow. He reaches for the drawer in the bedside table, pulling out a long, slim box and handing it to his befuddled boyfriend. 

"Happy anniversary, babe," he says, pressing a kiss to Jongdae’s hairline. 

"Seokkie… did you get me jewelry? But I just took you to dinner—"

"Just open it," Minseok prods.

Lips pursed, Jongdae does, then looks quizzically down at the contents. 

They’re flat metal cuffs made of close-fitting segments. Eight of the segments are engraved with numerals, with a blank segment between the first set of four digits and the second.

"They’re leg bands," Minseok explains, plucking one out of the box and pulling Jongdae’s foot into his lap. "The first four digits are the code for the Greater Seoul Area, the second is the date we met. We'll each have one on our ankle, and then the surveyors will know we've already been caught by each other."

"Minseok." 

Jongdae’s tone is fervent, but he holds still while Minseok fastens the band above his foot. Then he makes impatient grabby hands until Minseok’s foot is in his lap, where he promptly returns the favor. 

He stares at Minseok’s banded leg, then his own, then lifts his watery gaze to Minseok’s eyes. 

"Thank you," he murmurs, pulling Minseok in for a tender kiss. "I know it's incredibly dorky, but it's also perfect."

"Well, that's how I feel about you," Minseok grins, expecting and accepting the shoulder punch this earns him.

"I can't believe you actually made them so accurate."

"What can I say? Your nerdery is contagious, I can’t help but learn a few bird things here and there."

"Aww, you'll be a birder in no time," Jongdae gloats. "What's your favorite thing you've learned about birds so far?"

"That most of them fuck off for the winter and give me more time with you."

The sputtering this declaration receives can only be thinned out by kisses. It doesn't stop completely until Minseok gathers his bird nerd close, smiling fondly against his robin-red ear.

"That gay swans mate for life," he murmurs.

The strong, romantic feelings this statement evidently triggers in Jongdae can only be worked off by making Minseok sing like a meadow bunting in the spring.

"I always knew you'd murder me," Minseok huffs as he struggles to regain his senses after his third orgasm of the evening. "Just go ahead and impale my remains in a tree, you butcherbird."

"We prefer to be called shrikes, thank you," Jongdae says primly as he cleans Minseok up. "And I've impaled you quite enough for the moment, don't you think? Besides, I hardly need to forcibly cache you when you're sure to be right here of your own volition when I'm hungry again."

"You know I will be," Minseok says, doing his best to pull Jongdae close with pleasure-weakened limbs. "We're banded together. You're stuck with me now."

“Good thing I’m a gay swan, then.”

“The gayest,” Minseok agrees.

He laughs when Jongdae makes a swan neck with one arm, swooping his beaked hand over into half a heart. Rolling his eyes over an adoring smile, Minseok cuddles up to his preening mate, curving his own arm to mirror Jongdae’s.

Falling in love can really change a person’s outlook. Birds may never really be Minseok’s thing, but Jongdae always will.

❤🐦❤


End file.
